PORTUGUESE ace Pedro is aiming to go from Moutinho to Mourinho, by kickstarting his coaching career with the Bairns Under 14s side.

Falkirk favourite Pedro Moutinho is back at the club in a coaching role, which he hopes will spur him to bigger things

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PEDRO MOUTINHO hopes coaching with the Bairns will lead to a managerial career with the big boys one day.

The Portuguese striker has returned to Scotland to coach Falkirk’s kids and hopes to unearth the Russell Latapys of the future.

The 34-year-old – who enjoyed two spells with the Bairns – has been forced to cut his playing career short due to a knee injury.

But he has been handed the chance to start a new life as a coach with Gary Holt, Alex Smith and Alex Totten as part of the Falkirk Football Community Foundation.

Moutinho is currently working with the Under-14 side but he’s aiming high and the dream is to become Portugal boss.

He said: “The Foundation work involves kids going to school and then having coaching sessions as part of their sporting education.

“I take the Under-14 Forth Valley Academy players, which is the former Falkirk Football Academy.

“I have to prepare players, target the stars of the future and make sure they are ready for the first team as quickly as possible.

“I work closely with Alex Smith and Alex Totten who have many years of coaching experience and we report directly to Falkirk’s manager Gary Holt.

“I guess it is my job to unearth the Russell Latapys and Pedro Moutinhos of the future. I have completed my ‘B’ licence from the SFA and this is my first step on the rung of coaching but I want to coach at the highest level.

“I hope to progress my coaching career to the highest possible level. I’m not in a hurry as time is on my side but you have to aim high.

“So I hope this is a journey that will lead me to becoming Falkirk manager one day or better still the Portuguese national coach. I’m delighted to be back at Falkirk as Scotland is my home and I have always joked to people that I worked abroad.

“My wife Delia has just given birth to our first daughter Beatriz and I regard her as a Scottish lassie.”

Holt’s side sit top of the Championship and Moutinho hopes a win at Queen of the South today can keep them on track for promotion.

He insists Falkirk are a top-flight club and claims the only team with better training facilities in Portugal are Sporting Lisbon.

Moutinho said: “Falkirk belong in the top flight.

“I moved to Vitoria Guimaraes when I was 16 and they had the second best training complex in Portugal next to Sporting Lisbon.

“But I rate the Falkirk set-up at the Forth Valley Academy even better than the one at Guimaraes – and that is saying something.

“We have a great manager in Holt and a decent coaching staff. Everything is in place to get back into the top flight.”

But the Bairns can’t take anything for granted in a fierce fight for promotion and fourth-placed Queens can move just five points behind them with a win today.

Assistant boss Gerry McCabe said: “We have won four and drawn one of our last six league matches – which is decent consistency.

“The Falkirk game will be a difficult challenge for us but we know we can narrow the gap at the top with a victory and that is all the incentive our players need.”